The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1887-08-12
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL
LABOR IN The SOUTH.
what Is Paid IN Five States for Skilled
and UnskIlleo Labor

ABOUT the condition OF laDOrerS anu
the price of labor in the South, an in
quiry has been made, as part of a
general inquiry into wages, to ascer-
tain the facts. Five Southern States
were selected-North Carolina, Geor-
gia, Tennessee. Alabama and Missis-
sippi-and personal letters were sent
to trustworthy persons (some white,
some black) in every county in these
States. The first inquiry made was:
what wages are paid in your COM
munity for ordinary unskilled labor"
Forty-fve answers have been re-
ceived from Tennessee, AZ from North
Carolina, 81 from Georgia, 81 from
Mississippi, and AZ from Alabama
UNsKILLED LABOR.
Some answers give the wages by the
day and some by the month; classified,
the replies fall into the following
groupS-tirst:
By ne. ne s.GHs 20 Nc Tenn Ga Ala Miss
Average Aver per Ti moss6o Sill Sass s1o.7s 5000
By he day, " @; Tenn; Ga; Ala; Mise
hv or P Per day % ui IS s,es s,Gs %
1t will be observed that there is a
striking correspondence between the
average wages per day and the aver
age wages per month reported from
each State. This is in fact striking
confirmation of the accuracy of the
averages. Thus monthly wages in
North Carolina are little lower than
in any other State, and so are the daily
wages The next lowest is Mississippi,
were day wages average 921 cents and
monthly wages $40. Alabama shows
little higher average in both.
Tennessee shows the highest average
in daily wages reported, although in
the reports of monthly wages those
from Georgia are higher than those
! from Tennessee. A fair general
average of all the States is between
$40 and 81 month, and about 81 n
day. This would seem to indicate
that the average unskilled laborer in
these States works not more than
eleven days in month. But this diff
ference is partly explained by the fact
that as rule when wages are paid
daily board is excluded, and when paid
monthly board, or 'rations," are in
cluded. A little more than SO n
month the year round and rations is
about fair summary of all the an
swers. In a great many, if not in
most cases, a house or shanty is also
included. So that board and lodging
and from so to 81 is the average pay
for the day laborer in these States.
The fact that Tennessee and Georgia
make better showings than the rest of
the States, and that Mississippi and
North Carolina fall lowest in the list,
finds confirmation in the fact that in
Tennessee and Georgia, and to a less
extent in Alabama, there are more
towns and manufactures than in North
Carolina and Mississippi, and that
diversified industry has increased
wages.
SKILLED LABOR
The answers TO the questions. What
are the wages in your community paid
for skilled labor. such as carpenters.
masons and machinistsp' fall into the
following groups which express wages:
,s% Ia les. Nc T'Gs ca; Ala Mo: f.
ESQ, or more - 90 y,
More than ESQ 5 IS IS
Az. per day ......s2s8 $40 s225 s9a4 Gas
This table presents one or two cur
ious results. Mississippi, for instance,
which shows the lowest average pay to
unskilled. shows the highest average
pay to skilled labor. Next comes
Tennessee, then Alabama, then North
Carolina and Georgia stands at the
foot of this list of averages. A proba-
BILE explanation is that the industrial
activity in Georgia has drawn thither
or developed a very large supply of
certain classes of skilled labor, and
that in the absence of such activity
and advertising in Mississippi there is
a much smaller supply.
Many correspondents have taken the
trouble to explain that carpenters re-
ceive lower wages Tin some commune
ties much lower) than engineers or
even than masons. The foregoing
tables embrace all classes of skilled
labor. 1t will be noticed that there is
a much wider range of variety in the
prices paid skilled than in the prices
paid unskilled labor The impression
made on the reader of all these an
swers in detail is that while the price
of unskilled labor is and has been
nearly stationary, the prices for skilled
labor are very variable, and are on the
incraasa 81 JOUiS IIIohe- De,llocraI